Jim Newton back at Los Angeles Times

Former Times editorial page editor Jim Newton will return to the paper as an op-ed columnist. Here's the message:

We’re pleased to announce that Jim Newton is returning full-time to the Los Angeles Times after finishing a biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower, to author a new op-ed column on local government that will launch in early December.

Jim brings to the job not only his formidable writing and reporting skills but also his deep knowledge of the workings of Southern California government. He has served the paper as editor of the Editorial Pages, California government and politics editors and city/county bureau chief. He was also one of the paper’s most acclaimed reporters over two decades, covering the 1992 riots (and their aftermath), the 1994 earthquake (and the reconstruction), the Los Angeles Police Department, the trial of O.J. Simpson and the administration of Mayor Richard Riordan.

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Jim began his career as clerk to James Reston of the New York Times. He has been with the Los Angeles Times since 1989.

Newton stepped down in September, 2009.